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The role of BMP signaling in the regulation of hair follicle progenitor cells

THE ROLE OF BMP SIGNALING IN THE REGULATION
OF HAIR FOLLICLE PROGENITORS
by
Leila Sheikholeslam
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF SCIENCE
(EXPERIMENTAL AND MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY)
December 2011
Copyright 2011 Leila Sheikholeslam

The spatially defined differentiation programs of the hair follicle provide a significant model to study the underlying mechanisms of stem cell lineage determination. The biochemical signals that govern these biological mechanisms continue to be unraveled. Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMP) play an integral role in the homeostasis and differentiation of the hair follicle. ❧ To further study the role of BMP signaling in regulation of hair follicle progenitors, we labeled hair follicle progenitor cells in conditional K14-Cre-mediated-BMPR1A mice using a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene to investigate the target genes of BMP signaling involved in the differentiation of progenitor cells into the inner root sheath and hair shaft. Without BMPR1A activation, BMP signaling responsive genes are downregulated and the differentiation program is compromised. ❧ Our studies indicate the important role of Wnt signaling in the differentiation program of hair follicle progenitors and an elusive crosstalk between the Wnt and BMP pathway that further define the differentiation of the hair shaft cortical layer.

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THE ROLE OF BMP SIGNALING IN THE REGULATION
OF HAIR FOLLICLE PROGENITORS
by
Leila Sheikholeslam
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF SCIENCE
(EXPERIMENTAL AND MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY)
December 2011
Copyright 2011 Leila Sheikholeslam